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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28747317">The Matriarchy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BakaCoCo/pseuds/BakaCoCo'>BakaCoCo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>High School, Modern Era, Satire, Sexism, Sexist Language, Systemic Oppression, Teenagers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:25:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>936</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28747317</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BakaCoCo/pseuds/BakaCoCo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They just wanted to live a nice life and achieve their dreams. They didn't ask for all these people and barriers to be put in their way due to something they can't control or change.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Matriarchy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! </p><p>Welcome to my story where I explore gender norms and how gender it used to oppress people. Now, this subject can be hard to illustrate since people become so numb to the words and actions used to oppress people due to repeated exposure from their environment. So, I decided to switch the roles up a bit, as you'll see, in order to make these instances of gender oppression more apparent.</p><p>I hope you enjoy and that this story makes you think about how things you may have thought were normal or harmless are actually very harmful and counterproductive to creating gender equality.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“...and with that the Declaration of Independence was signed, with the largest signature belonging to the courageous Joesaphine Hancock, and the United States of American was founded where all women are created equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Mr. Kinsley trailed off and looked dreamily at the stuffy old white lady, who is most likely the brave Joseaphine Hancock, displayed on the board, “We’ll pick up tomorrow with the British’s response and the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The bell should be ringing shortly.”</p><p>Alex sighed in relief and closed his notebook. He hated history class. All they ever talked about was America this and Founding Mothers that. Oh, and don’t forget Harriet Ford and the groundbreaking assembly line! What a bore. </p><p>“Hey, Alex,” Stacy Hooper called, breaking him out of his melodramatic thoughts, “Did you check your scores for the college application test yet? They were released yesterday.”</p><p>Alex winced thinking about them, “Yeah, I was only in the 64th percentile though. Now, I’m gonna have to take them again if I wanna get into a good college.”</p><p>“Well that’s not too bad for a guy though. I mean it’s not like you need to get into any smart programs, like biology or engineering. Well, unless you want to become a nurse?” Stacy trailed off thoughtfully.</p><p>“Nah, I don’t think nursing is for me,” Alex replied.</p><p>“Yeah science isn’t for everyone,” Stacy trailed off. Alex quickly realized Stacy didn’t understand that he wanted to get into science just not nursing but didn’t have an opportunity to correct her before she spoke again, “Maybe you could become a secretary or a teacher?”</p><p>Alex mulled those ideas over, “I don’t know maybe? I was hoping to get into a psychology program somewhere but I’m going to have to get my scores up for that.”</p><p>“I’m sure you can do it if you try hard enough. But hey even if you don’t you can always just find yourself a nice wife and be a stay at home dad,” Stacy was obviously trying to cheer him up, but Alex couldn’t help but feel a pang of despair at her words. How come everyone just assumed he wanted to get married and have kids? He wanted a career and to be a strong independent man! Even though his mom and dad just gave him amused looks and told ‘oh, you’ll change your mind when you're older’ whenever he told them he didn’t want to have kids. That combined with the patronising looks he got when he brought up his aspirations of becoming a psychiatrist made him so angry. </p><p>“Yeah I guess,” Alex giggled awkwardly. Maybe he should just get married and start a family. Everyone else made it seem like it was inevitable so why should he even waste his time on a career at all. </p><p>Thankfully, he was saved from further discussion by the bell ringing and he quickly gathered his things. His next class was chemistry. Chemistry was an interesting class but his teacher Mrs. Winston always made sexist comments, which was a common theme among most of the teachers, and it pained Alex to have to sit there and be treated like an incompetent baby while he was forced to ‘let the women work’. Honestly, it seemed like his only purpose was to sit there and write notes while his lab partner, who ALWAYS ruins their experiment even though Alex TELLS them they’re doing it wrong, does all the ‘woman’s work’. </p><p>Abby always looks so ridiculous brandishing her match like a sword and lighting the bunsen burner only to look at Alex and expect some sort of praise. Newsflash, it wasn’t rocket science Abby. Anyone can light a bunsen burner. Except men apparently, because one time Mrs. Winston had this male student who was a ‘typical stupid man, so thank goodness he was a real sweetheart with a million dollar smile’, and apparently he tried to light the burner only to create a small explosion that singed his eyebrows off. Every since bunsen burner lighting was a female only activity since Mrs. Winston couldn’t live with herself if any of her male students damaged their faces because ‘just how would they attract a good wife with a face like that’? </p><p>Alex thought that if his future wife, which he wasn’t even sure he wanted but everyone seemed to insist he needed, didn’t like him just because he had a burn mark on his face he didn’t want her. Why should he settle for a shallow person like that? ‘But women only like pretty men’ his father would argue and Alex would begrudgingly let it go since he didn’t want to fight with his dad. Alex, however, couldn’t help but ponder why HE was the one that had to lower his standards. Couldn’t women just accept the fact that looks were not everything and that they fade with time? Wasn’t his personality what mattered more? If you asked the magazines and TV shows Alex saw the answer would be a resounding no. </p><p>With a world weary sigh Alex cut his thoughts off and stepped into the chemistry room. Hopefully today he could manage to somehow steer Abby on the right path when it came to their experiment  without making it seem like he was trying to take the lead. Women hated it when he took the lead for some reason. Alex supposed it had something to do with their pride, but who had time for pride when their flask looked about two second from a meltdown? Clearly Abby did. How unproductive.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please let me know what you think in the comments! </p><p>I would love to hear any questions or insights! I'm currently studying this type of content in college, I'm an anthropology major, and will gladly answer any questions to the best of my ability.</p><p>I'm not sure if I'll continue to add to this or not, but that does not mean these are the only examples of everyday gender oppression. It would be impossible to include all the subtle nuances that occur in daily life and contribute to gender oppression into one story.</p><p>Also, this story is specifically looking at the United States. Please don't think this applies to or can be used to describe ALL countries and cultures.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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